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Who's Who - Benito Mussolini

Benito Amilcare Andrea
Mussolini (1883-1945), Italy's fascist dictator from 1922-45, served for a
time on the Italian Front during the First World War.

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The son of a blacksmith,
Mussolini worked as a teacher and journalist before turning to political
agitation. Initially a socialist he resigned from the Italian
Socialist Party in 1915 over its declared opposition to war against
Austria-Hungary; the party favoured neutrality while Mussolini was clear in
his belief that support for the Allies could only serve to boost Italy's
claim to recover lost Austro-Hungarian territory.

Having joined the Italian
Army he saw service on the
Isonzo before
being wounded and returning home. Once back in Italy he resumed his
journalistic activities, editing the Milan newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia.
While out of the fighting personally he nonetheless remained firmly in
favour of continued Italian participation in the war, and advocated
suppression (through means of his journalism) of those who espoused anti-war
rhetoric.

Mussolini's extreme
right-wing views, while prominent, were secondary to those of the eccentric
nationalist Gabriele
D'Annunzio (with whom Mussolini took care to foster good relations even
after the latter's rise to power).

In 1922 Mussolini, his
influence in the ascendant, led a march upon Rome, which succeeded in
destabilising the government. Asked to form an administration by
King Vittorio Emanuele
III in October 1922 the movement towards dictatorship was increasing; he
became Il Duce ('The Leader') some three years later.

Once Mussolini had assumed
dictatorial powers a concerted effort was launched to mythologize his
somewhat limited role in the First World War.

Mussolini - who was active
overseas in the 1930s, a period which included the Italian invasion of
Ethiopia in 1935 - led Italy for much of the Second World War, having carved
an unequal alliance with
Adolf Hitler's Germany.